Cycling shoes are currently designed to meet different and specific performance levels. Accommodating these different performance levels generally results in designing a shoe with compromises between comfort and performance. When a shoe is designed primarily for a touring or commuter cyclist, wherein the cyclist is willing to give up a degree of high-level performance for the sake of comfort, the shoe sole generally includes a rubber or rubber like outsole to provide support and traction during walking, and generally does not include a large pedal-engaging, adjustable cleat. On the other hand, when a high-level of cycling performance is desired, the shoe outsole is generally made of a very rigid plastic material and a relatively large pedal-engaging adjustable cleat is incorporated into the outsole. Such high-level performance cycling shoes offer very little, if any, comfort during walking, but provide positive engagement between the shoes and the bicycle pedals.
One technique to improve the comfort of performance style cycling shoes has been to incorporate a stiff shank into the insole while using a rubber or rubber like material for the outsole. Such a construction, however, limits the manner in which pedal-engaging cleats can be attached to the sole structure. In general, the higher performance level cycling shoes with adjustable cleats have used rigid plastic outsoles in order to provide a sturdy base for adjustably attaching the cleats.
The higher performance level cycling shoes with adjustable cleats, while providing the cyclist with a high level of pedal engagement capability, suffer certain drawbacks. For example, such cycling shoes generally are cumbersome, difficult to walk in, and adjustments in the positioning of the cleats is time consuming and difficult, and generally requires the use of tools. For example, West German Patent Specification No. 2,240,102 to Limberger discloses a bicycle racing shoe wherein the sole is made of a synthetic thermoplastic material and a grooved cleat is adjustably inserted within a recess in the plastic sole. Tabs extending around the recess are used to hold the cleat in position in the recess. In order to adequately hold the cleat within the recess, the plastic used in the Limberger shoe appears to be very rigid in order to provide sufficient strength to the tabs. Nevertheless, it appears that such a construction for holding the cleat to the sole would not provide sufficient resistance to rotation so that the cleat would rotate or pivot at times when the firm positioning of the groove and the cleat is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,952 to Gamondes also discloses a cycling shoe with a pedal-engaging cleat which is adjustably attached to the shoe outsole. Incremental angular adjustability is provided by mating teeth between a first and a second disc, while longitudinal adjustability is provided by interengaging teeth on the opposite side of the second disc and a third element. Once a desired angular and longitudinal position is selected, the three elements are locked in position by a set screw. However, a trial and error process must be used in order to find the desired cleat position. A cyclist estimates the cleat position and secures the cleat in place by tightening the set screw. Thereafter, the cyclist rides the bicycle to determine how the shoes feel. If the alignment of the cleat does not feel proper, the cyclist must loosen the set screw and readjust the discs to a position believed to be better. Thereafter, the cyclist must again ride the bicycle to see how the shoe feels. This process continues until the cyclist feels the cleat is in a proper position. Such a trial and error process is both time consuming and inaccurate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,210 to Lotteau et al. discloses another technique for achieving a positive engagement between a pedal and a cycling shoe. In the '210 patent, a specially designed block is attached to a pedal and fits within a specially designed recess in an outsole.
The present invention was developed to alleviate the above disadvantages of prior art cycling shoes. That is, the present invention was developed to provide a cycling shoe which could have its chracteristics converted between those adapted for touring/commuting and high-level performance, and which uses a simpler and more accurate method and structure for attaching and orientating a pedal-engaging cleat on a shoe outsole.